Harry Tjutjuna

Harry Tjutjuna was a revered Pitjantjatjara lawman and artist whose bold, provocative paintings of ancestral beings—particularly Wati Wanka (Spider Man) and Wati Nyiru—established him as one of the APY Lands' most important painters. Born at Walytjatjara (Mt Davies) near the South Australia-Northern Territory border, Tjutjuna moved extensively across the desert, eventually settling at Ernabella Mission where he worked as bore sinker, fencer, and stockman while maintaining ceremonial obligations. He commenced painting full-time at Ernabella Arts before relocating to Pipalyatjara in 2008, becoming Ninuku Arts' most significant artist. Tjutjuna's paintings featured recurring motifs of round female forms surrounding central ancestral figures, reflecting narratives of Spider Man—a powerful ngangkari healer—and the lustful Nyiru perpetually chasing the Seven Sisters. His characteristic bold color palette emphasized Tjukurpa's power, while his later works congregated multiple ancestral beings (Wati Wanka, Wati Nyiru, Wati Ngintaka), demonstrating cultural seniority's creative flexibility. Tjutjuna's preoccupation with these subjects, painted with humor and sympathy from the male perspective, created a distinctive body of work that consolidated his legacy as a master storyteller and cultural custodian until his death in 2019.

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